The winning numbers for the record $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot were drawn Friday night.
The numbers drawn for the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history are 15-23-53-65-70 and Mega Ball 7. A single winner taking the cash lump sum would receive about $565.6 million.
Should no one match all the numbers drawn, the next jackpot is estimated at $1.6 billion — about the same as the record 2016 Powerball jackpot — with an estimated cash value of $904.9 million.
The Mega Millions jackpot jumped into “uncharted territory,” sparking a buying frenzy across the country and wish lists of how people would spend the cash if they won.
“This is truly uncharted territory, and it’s exciting to see people across the country buying their tickets and joining in the fun,” said Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions lead director and the director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming, in a statement Friday. He added that he couldn’t wait to meet the winner who’d be sharing this historic moment.
The $1 billion prize has attracted buyers to rush to get the tickets before Friday night’s drawing.
At Penn Station in New York, where players had bought winning tickets in the past, there were more hopefuls vying for the $1 billion.
“That’s the winning ticket, and if I do win, this is the last time you will ever see me in Penn Station. Thank you and have a good day,” Phil Sparacino, a lottery player, told The Associated Press.
Even those who could not get the tickets themselves are asking friends and family to get tickets for them.
“It’s really cool. I’m actually getting this for my mom. So my mom just called me to get the lottery for her. So yeah, I hope we win. We’ll see,” Alexa Sibayan told the AP while on line waiting to buy tickets.
Some people already have a plan for the winning prize, too.
“We hope we win. We hope a lot of people win but… if we do win, we want to give a lot of it away to charity,” Mel Kleinman told the AP.
Kirit Prajapati, who sells lottery tickets at a Carlton Cards shop in Penn Station, said the store has been packed with people hoping to win. “It’s busy, you see? It’s madness going on,” Prajapati told the AP.
Meanwhile, the jackpot for Powerball skyrocketed to almost half a billion after no one won Wednesday.
The winning numbers for Powerball, a comparatively meager sum of just $345 million, were 3-57-64-68-69 and a Powerball of 15. One person in Florida won $2 million, while tickets in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Kentucky each were worth $1 million.
The pot rises to $430 million for Saturday’s drawing. The cash payout is $248 million.
The next drawing for Powerball is Saturday.
But the record numbers are being left to the Mega Millions jackpot, set to be drawn on Friday. The projected prize would be the second-largest payout in U.S. lottery history.
The only lottery payout in history that was larger than Friday’s $1 billion total was a Powerball drawing for $1.59 billion in January 2016. Three winners split that total.
The Mega Millions jackpot has skyrocketed since the July 24 drawing when a group of 11 coworkers in Santa Clara County, California, shared a $543 million jackpot, the game’s fourth-largest.
More than $1.4 billion in combined potential prize money was up for grabs over the weekend, with Saturday night’s Powerball prize estimated at $430 million — or a one-time cash prize of nearly $248 million and Friday’s Mega Millions prize at $1 billion.
